Throughout his respected career in recreation and athletics management, Frank
White has seen the
power that sports can have in a young person's life.
He knows firsthand of the lessons a child can
learn from involvement in sports: lessons
about teamwork, confidence, physical fitness, sportsmanship,
competition, leadership,
respect, humility and many more.

He has also seen violence and abuse in sports and
the negative impact these behaviors can have
on youth.

White says that
criticism, displays of temper and intense pressure are some of the negative
behaviors
often exhibited by adults, spectators and coaches that profoundly impact our youth in a
negative
manner.

With a firm respect for
sports and their potential to enrich a young person's life, White founded
Respect
Sports with a two-part mission. First, he aims to
raise people's awareness about the violence and
abuse that occur in sports
in each community. White reminds his audiences how vitally important it is "to
examine the values that we are teaching." The second part of the Respect Sports
mission is to provide
a model for leaders, administrators,
parents and participants to create a new direction for youth sports that
is safer,
healthier and more positive.

White
believes that something has been lost in youth
sports. "

There
has been a dramatic shift in youth sports away from a sense of
enjoyment,
physical fitness and sportsmanship to intense competition,"
he says. "In our attempts to create a better program for our youth, weve
used
an 'adult'
or 'professional' model for these programs, creating a
winning-isnt-everything-its-the-only-thing' attitude."

He believes that adults
must work at teaching kids the benefits of sports. "If it's true that 'it takes an entire village
to raise a child,' then
each member of a community has a place and responsibility to solve this challenge,"
White
says.

White has given his presentation, Violence
In Sports: It's Not A Game Anymore, to coaches, athletic directors,
parents, teachers, recreation professionals, sports officials, and kids .
The program emphasizes the importance of the involvement of all people. "Good citizenship can be demonstrated anywhere," White
says. "It has a place
in classrooms, hallways, homes, workplaces, when you're
with friends....anywhere." This kind of respectful behavior
in youth athletics
will result in the establishment of standards that foster a healthy and safe enviroment.

White's session, however, does more than just
stress the importance of promoting a respectful environment. The
sessions provide an established and useful model for reducing negative
behavior by participants,
coaches and spectators.

Sports, White says, have historically served
as a conduit that invites people to become part of their community.
Therefore, he believes that respectful sports have not only benefits for the individual,
but can be an effective vehicle
for promoting positive citizenship. "Sportsmanship
and citizenship are virtually synonymous," he says. "All of us
should
cultivate and nurture a sports culture that values learning, respect for self, respect for
others and respect for
the game by focusing on sportsmanship."